 First edition | |
| Author | Madeleine St John |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary |
| Publisher | Andre Deutsch Ltd |
Publication date | 1993 |
| Media type | Print Paperback |
| Followed by | A Pure Clear Light |
The Women in Black is a 1993 novel by Australian author Madeleine St John. It is her first novel, and is the only one she set in Australia. [1]
The novel tells the story of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney. It is set primarily during the Christmas rush period when young school leaver, Lisa, joins the women.
In 2015, the novel was adapted to a stage musical, re-titled Ladies in Black , by Carolyn Burns with music and lyrics by Tim Finn.
The novel was also adapted into a movie in 2018, titled Ladies in Black , and directed by Australian film director Bruce Beresford. Beresford spent some 25 years trying to raise the money to make this film after securing the rights from St John, whom he'd known at Sydney University in the 1960s. He reconnected with her after their mutual friend Clive James recommended the book to him. [2]
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Joan à Beckett Lindsay, also known as Lady Lindsay, was an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and visual artist. Trained in her youth as a painter, Lindsay published her first literary work in 1936 at age forty under a pseudonym, a satirical novel titled Through Darkest Pondelayo. Her second novel, Time Without Clocks, was published nearly thirty years later, and was a semi-autobiographical account of the early years of her marriage to artist Daryl Lindsay.
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Ladies in Black is a 2018 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. Starring Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Julia Ormond, Ryan Corr and Shane Jacobson, the film is based on the 1993 novel The Women in Black by Madeleine St John, and tells the story of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney. The film was released on 20 September 2018.